Wichita eagle., 1887-05-24
THE zoo IN WINTER.
CARE OF THE CENTRAL PARk
MEkAcERlE IN COLD WEATHER.

CARE OF THE CENTRAL PARK
MEkAGERIE IN COLD WEATHER.
Tho Bison Under . shed-Bears carr
fully Looked After-Prairis Dogs, Sea
Lions and Water Fowl-Elsphants, "Cat
Animals' and Monkeys.
Superintendent Conklfn, when asked
how he managed his numerous family OF
birds and beasts in winter, said: by
conforming as far as possible with their
various conditions when in state OF
nature, with such notifications as are
compelled by the restraints OF captivity.
Some animals, the American bison for IN
stance, we winter in q shed open on all
sides to the wind, and only covered 10
keep of the rain and snow. This hardy
animal would not thrive if kept in warm
stable. The bears all have to be kept In
cages open to the wind, but with close
compartments for shelter, to which they
can retire when they see fit Yet, strange
as it may seem, we have no animals tnat
are more likely to take cold and perish
with lung diseases than the bears, II they
are kept in q warm room and subjected TO
occasional draughts that may not seem
particularly strong. The deer do best
when not allowed to have any artificial
heat. A comfortable shelter is provided
Tor them, to which they may retire when
so disposed, but many of them prefer,
even in very inclement weather, sleeping
on the ground in the open air.
ssThe foxes, wolves and raccoons are
provided for in the same manner as the
bears, by means Of open cages, to give
them all the exposure they need, and at
tached shelters in which they may take
refuge from excessive cold. The prairie
DOGS take care Of themselves. There are
about fifty members of their little colony.
To make a place for them we excavated
the ground and laid heavy stone floor
and stone walls, making sort of cellar,
in triangular form, thirty feet wide at the
base and about 100 feet long, into which
we subsequently filled the earth up to its
natural level Into that space we turned
the prairie dogs to make their own houses,
and they have done SO apparently to their
entire satisfaction. They have burrowed
in all directions, and are only restrained
by the stone walls and floor from extend
ing their subterranean village indefinitely.
In the autumn they began laying up their
winter stores. They have dragged down
at least bale Of hay and great quantity
of corn into their burrows, making them
selves quite independent Of us until
spring. In pleasant weather, all through
the winter, they come out and appear to
take an interest in what is going on, but
on cold days not one of them pokes his
nose above ground. 1t is popular error
by the way, that the prairie dog does moi
drink water"
"Yes,'' Mr. Thompson Clipped into the
have the mistaken idea that parrots d.
not want water and are likely to die il
they drink any. They forget-if they evel
knew-that the presence of parrots is al
unfailing indication of the neighborhoOt
Of water in Africa. The error arises from
the fact that those birds are generally
brought hero by sailors who do not taxi
the trouble to give them any water. Tit
birds manage to live, but undoubtedl,
suffer tortures from thirst, for when thel
land here and get at water they are yer!
apt to drink SO greedily that it kill
them"
"Everything that lives, even a Ken
lucky colonel, drinks water some times,
remarked Superintendent Conklin, VIII
continued: 'All that the sea lions ask i
to be let alone, beyond the giving t.
them of their daily supply of fish. The.
| play about in the water all the white
| through In exceedingly cold weather
when the temperature Of the air is consid
erably below that Of the water, they stay il
the water all the time, only poking thei
| noses out occasionally for breath. The,
have no use for any other shelter. Ice i
| prevented from forming on their pond b,
their constant motion in the water
| 'The swans, geese and ducks scorl
even such shelter as the pelicans have
| They do best in the open air all the time
| We have fenced off for them part of tn
upper lake, and there they swim aroun
| enough to keep tho ice from formin
Oh part of the water. Many Of them
by choice, sleep on the ice, and in exces
sively cold weather the down of the swan
is frequently frozen fast to it, SO that W
have to chop it away with hatchets
Nberats them They could just as we
sleep on the dry bank, but doubtless a
inherited instinct Of self preservation fror
the attacks Of prowling nocturnal animal
leads them to prefer the ice, away on
from the Shore as o resting place. Th
swans have a way Of drawing their fec
up inside their thick down so that they
not touch the ice and are never frozer
even when the down under them is froze
into the ice. AL the geese and swans al
wonderfully tough, not n the sense {
toughness that might commend them IL
boarding house, but in the matter Of Ell
durance Even the south African gees
and tho Australian black swans, thong
from very hot climates, seem to stand tn
cold as well as the others.
1.-The artelopes, Persian sheep and tw
remaining out Of the great Barnum her
of forty-four elephants arc housed In
building where stoves maintain a temper,
ture Of about IS dogs. The main thing
caring for them is to protect them frol
of pneumonia. It must be something tie
rible for them. The idea Of 200 pounds
congested lung is horrible to contemplate
And they get rheumatism, too, and die
it, as one did only couple Of weeks az
in the Philadelphia Geological garden
No; l can't tell you whether they gay
him tubfuls of wine Of colchicum and hui
dred weights of salysilic acid, and apple
acres Of mustard plasters and barrels
liniment externally, and connected hi
with some dynamos, or not.
"Au the cat animals, tigers. lion
leopards, etc, and the rhinoceros and hi
popotamus are kept in a close house heatt
, by steam pipes to temperature OF n
less than go dogs, nor over 20. In Il
first week of January we will build ne
cage. much more roomy than that whit
he now occupies. for the rhinoceros, al
. in that. when we get few hundr'
, pounds more Of flesh on him, he will sho
| off we'll